Synchronizing-clock system



I. w. BRYCE.

SYNCHRONIZING CLOCK SYSTEM.

Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

APPLICATION- FILED DEC. 30,1920.

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SYNCHRONIZING CLOCK SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC,30, 1920.

Patented Aug. 23,1921.

2 SHEElS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE.

JAMES W. BRYCE, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE INTERNATIONALTIME RECORDING- COMPANY OF NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SYNCHRONIZING-CLOCK SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 23, 1921:

Application filed December 30, 1920. Serial No. 433,976.

To aZ Z w ham it may concern Beit known that I. JAMES W. BRYCE, acitizen of the United States, residing at Binghamton, in the county of-Broome and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Synchronizing-Clock Systems, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

In an ap lication filed by me on August 24. 1920, erial Number 405,607 Ihave shown and described a synchronizing clock system of novelcharacter, in which a master clock is used to control the operation of aplurality of secondary clocks, and to bring such clocks at stated anddefinite instants into perfect synchronism with itself in case for anycause they are not in such exact accord, but are either too fast or tooslow.

This system requires for its successful operation a special arrangementof electric circuits and connections particularly so if the system beone in which both direct and alternating currents must be utilized inits operation. For example, in a factory plant, the power for operatingthe system may be obtained from a direct current source supplied by thelocal power plant during the day or working hours. At other times,however when the plant is not running it may be necessary to draw on themunicipal circuits for power, and these may be from an alternatingsource.

The circuits which I contemplate using in my system are speciallydesigned and adapted to operate the now well known Bryce synchronizingapparatus, and while they have no broadly distinctive features ofnovelty, they are new. in their character and arrangement to the extentwhich may best be indicated by the specific description contained in thefollowing specification in which reference ismade to the accompanyingdrawings, r v

Figure 1 in view inTfront'elevation of the master clock employed in thesystem.

Fig. 2 is a view in elevationof a special form of circuit controllerused therein.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 4 is a detail of a supplemental circuit controller.

Fig. 5 is a diagram of the circuits used in the system when supplied bydirect cur,- rent and i Fig. 6 is a similar diagram showing thearrangement of circuits and devices rethe said two cams or cam disks.

quired when both directv and alternating .CUI'IQII'ES121I6. used in theoperation of the system.

It is essential to an understanding of the invention to know that themaster clock is an accurate time piece which may be kept runningindefinitely, for which purpose I prefer to use the clock which I havedescribed in detail in the copending applica' tion above referred to.This clock is equipped with two circuit controllers. One of these shownin Figs. 2 and 3, comprises two cams 1 and 2 on the hour shaft and twolevers 3 and 4, which are spring actuated and which bear upon theperipheries of the The lever 3 carries an insulating plate 5, to whichis attached a metal plate 63, carrying contact points 7 and 8. The otherlever 4, carries an insulating plate 9, to which is secured a metalplate 10, also having two contact points 11, 12, between which the plate6 oscillates.

Normally the plate 5, lies midway between the two contacts 7 and 8, butat fifteen minutes of the hour the lever 3 is shifted by its cam onthehour shaft, throwing its right hand contact 7 into engagement withthe corresponding contact 12. In like manner, at the even hour the lever4 is shifted by its cam, which throws the left hand contact 11 intoengagement with the contact 8 and breaks the contact between 7- and 12.The purpose and function of this operation will be understood from thedescription of thesystem hereinafter given.

The relative slowness of the hour shaft may not be depended upon forclosing the circuit to line at exactly the correct instant required, andI therefore use in conjunction with the circuitv controller abovedescribed, a supplemental circuit controller operated by a cam 13, onthe minute shaft.

nected to line so that an accelerating device therein will operate tospeed the clock up until it catches up with the master clock, or if itbe too fast the other circuit is connected to line and operates toretard the clock until the master clock has caught up to it. Thisoperation is performed by a circuit controller 20 operated by a cam 21and driven by the secondary train.

Referring now to Fig. 5, 22, 23 are the terminals of the power circuit.At fifteen minutes of each hour the lever 3 is shifted to bring contacts7 and 12 together and this operates to connect the wire at from terminal22 and connected to contact 12 to the wire 25, which by the closure atthe exact minute of the controller contacts 14 and 15 is continued to arelay magnet 26, thence through resistance unit 27 and thence to theopposite terminal 23. The relay being thus energized attracts itsarmature 28 which connects wire 29 fromterminal 22 to the line wire 30and also closes the source through the resistance unit 27 and the relaymagnet 26. The path through wire 25 will soon be broken by the cam 13 ormight be interrupted in the master clock for some other reason, but thishas no effect on the operation of the relay 26 which remains closeduntil the main circuit controller again operates.

The source of current therefore remains connected with the line untilthe even hour or for fifteen minutes. At the latter instant the lever tbreaks the contact between '7 and 12 andcloses that between contacts 8and 11, and this operates to close a short circuit around the relay 26through wires 3i and 25, hence the relay magnet is de'energizing and itsarmature falls away disconnecting the source from the line.

If both direct and alternating currents are supplied to the line foroperating the synchronizing mechanism special provision must be madetherefor, because it is practically impossible to wind magnets which arecapable of operating properly on both direct and alternating currents.To approximate to the necessary conditions the magnets are wound for lowresistance and low inductance, and a relatively high non-inductiveresistance used in series with them, which is tapped so that when an.alternating current is used, there is less resistance in series with themagnet or magnets than when a direct current is supplied. This isillustrated in Fig. 6.

In this figure, using difierentreference numerals wherever necessary toavoid confusion, a selector relay 32 is connected directly across theterminals 22 and 23, and a resistance unit 33 included in series withit. The magnet of this relay is of very high inductive resistance sothat it responds only to a direct and not an alternating current.

The relay has two armatures 34 and 35, one connected with wire 36, fromthe contact 11, the other with wire. 37, from the contacts 7 and 8. Theterminal 22 is connected, as before, with the contact 12.

When a direct current comes from the source, the two armatures 34: and35 are raised; henc when the circuit through wire 37 is closed a relaymagnet 38 is energized by th current which finds its way back toterminal 23 through a resistance 39. This relay, like relay 26 of Fig.5, connects the source to line through a resistance 45 and also closesthe source through itself by connecting wire 29 to wire &0 containin themagnet and resistance 39. The operation is thereafter the same as in thecase of Fig. 5. If the source be alternating, selector relay 32 is notenergized, and hence by the master clock circuit controller the sourceis connected to relay ll and through resistance 42 to the terminal 23.This relay in addition to closing its own circuit independently of themaster clock circuit connects the alternating source to the secondaryclocks through a circuit wire, which is connected to an adjustablecontact 44 that includes less than the whole of the resistance 45.

By this means it becomes possible and practicable to use such magnets,18 and 19 in the secondary clocks as will be properly operated either bya direct or by an alternating current, and the system is made applicableto both kinds of current. The distinction between Figs. 5 and 6, it willbe observed, resides in the use of two relays, similar to the one usedin Fig. 5, with appropriate means for operating through one or theother, as the case may be, to secure the desired results.

lVhat I claim as my invention is z 1. In a synchronizing clock system,the combination with a source of operating current, of a master clock,a. circuit from the source to the same, a relay, a resistance and acircuit controller operated by the master clock in such circuit, saidcircuit controller being adapted to close such circuit for definiteintervals of time, means operated by the relay for closing the circuitfrom the source through said resistance and its own magnet and forconnecting said source to the line, and means operated by the masterclock for throwing said relay out of action at the end of the periods ofclosure by the circuit controller therein.

.2. In a synchronizing clock system, the combination with a source ofoperating current, of a master clock, a circuit controller operatedthereby during given intervals to close a circuit from the source, twopaths or circuits adapted to be connected to the said circuit, aselector relay in a closed circuit from the source adapted to beenergized by a direct current only for connecting one or the other ofsuch circuits with the source,

relays in said paths or circuits and means operated thereby forconnecting the source to the line through paths adapted for direct orfor alternating currents, respectively, and for closing the circuit fromthe source through their own magnets, and means operated by the masterclock for throwing said relays out of operation at tlieends of theintervals of closure by its circuit controller.

3. In a synchronizing clock system, the combinationwitha source ofoperating current and a circuit from the same, of a master clock, acircuit controller operated thereby to close said circuit for definiteintervals,

and a supplemental circuit controller operated thereby for making andbreaking the said circuit at frequent intervals, a relay in the circuitso controlled adapted by its operation to close the vsource throughits'own magnet and also to connect the source to line, and meansoperated by the master clock at theend of the definite periods ofclosure by its circuit controller to throw the relay out of action.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

JAMES W. BRYCE.

